The older we get the more often we are asked this question. U.S. News & World Report stated in 2014 about half of retirees were forced to retire sooner than expected. The average retirement age is around age 62. Most of the time a retirement plan is built around a retirement age. When someone retires from a job, among the things they take with them are years of knowledge, experience, and resourcefulness in relation to their particular job. As Christians, do we transfer this mindset to the church? Do we set an age by which we will slow down, cut back, or just simply stop when it comes to our service?
Psalm 92:12-15 says The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Notice the verb phrases in this text: shall flourish, shall grow, shall still bear fruit in old age, shall be fresh and flourishing. We should be growing old, not just getting old. Older Christians have so much to offer the church, younger Christians, and the world!
If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. If you love serving in the kingdom, no “retirement age” will be set and your service will not cease. I Corinthians 15:58 says Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
The church implores us not to slow down, cut back, or stop as a laborer for the Lord. When are you going to retire? Answer: NEVER!
